I was at an information meeting with some of the Legislators discussing this and other bills.  Shortly before that, a number of times I met and spoke with a gentleman who was imprisoned for fourteen years for a crime he did not commit (belief by his family, friends and attorneys and today's forensic testing that was not available when he was convicted got him released).  Last year I served as a juror on a murder trial.  With these experiences and conversations behind me, I can say I don't believe the bill as written would do what it was intended and its potential harm was much greater than any good.

I agree with some Legislators that a "professional" Parole Board with a full-time research assistant and a consulting psycologist is a better avenue.  I was horrifed to discover that the existing Parole Board has NO staff, no one to do records research (some records are so old they're stored in cartons in basements); i.e., they don't even have a Clerk to ask for the files!  It was also interesting to learn CT has a 3-strikes rule, just not mandatory as in the proposed bill.